January 27, 2025
Pediatric Resources
Connect with Others
Biennial Pediatric Melanoma Summit
Information for this event is forthcoming; we encourage you to fill out the pediatric weekend retreat interest survey to get your insights and initial interest as they are crucial in planning this event.
Spot the Dog Resources
Online and Print Resources
- Questions to Ask Your Doctor
- Faces of Pediatric Melanoma video created by MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Center
- Sun Safety Coloring Pages
- MRF’s Parents Guide to Prevention
- MRF’s Sunscreen Postcard
- MRF’s Pediatric Melanoma Specific Webinars
Support & Financial Resources
- Camp Quality USA: Overnight and week-long camps for young patients (some locations host siblings).
- Children’s Melanoma Prevention Foundation
- National Children’s Cancer Society
- SuperSibs!: A melanoma diagnosis can be difficult for everyone, but siblings of patients are put in a very difficult situation. They can feel scared, overwhelmed, alone and unimportant. Here are some resources from SuperSibs!, now powered through Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, for siblings who are 4-7 years, 8-12 years and teens, as well as a place for siblings to share their stories.
- Imaginary Friend Society: A cancer diagnosis is scary for anyone, but for a child it can be even scarier. That’s where the Imaginary Friend Society comes in. A cast of characters inspired by the imaginations of kids themselves. Through a series of 20 animated short films, our imaginary friends explain a wide range of complicated cancer topics in a way that kids can understand.
- Still Strong Foundation: Offers financial grants to different hospitals across the U.S.
Life After Treatment
If your child has had a melanoma, they are at higher risk of developing new melanomas than someone who has never had a melanoma. They may be at risk of the cancer coming back in nearby skin or other parts of the body. The chance of recurrence is greater if the melanoma was thick or had spread to nearby tissue. Other members of your family also should have regular checks for melanoma.
To increase the chance of finding a new or recurrent melanoma as early as possible, follow your doctor’s schedule for regular checkups and be sure to examine your child’s skin monthly (or have them do it themselves, if they are old enough to do it properly).
If your child is at high-risk for recurrence, follow-up care may include x-rays, blood tests and imaging scans of the chest, liver, bones and brain. If your child was diagnosed with early stage (Stage I or II) melanoma, these tests may not be performed. Visit our Living with Melanoma section to learn more.
504 Plan
After a melanoma diagnosis, your child will qualify for a 504 Plan. This will help you as you navigate the school system and work with teachers and administrators to ensure that your child can go to school with sunscreen and other sun protection measures.
Additional Links
AYA Resources
Cancer Centers Focused on the AYA Population
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt
CHOC Children's (UC Irvine)
Cleveland Clinic
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Greenville Health System
Lurie Cancer Center of Northwestern University
Moffitt Cancer Center
Nationwide Children's (Columbus, OH)
OHSU Knight Cancer Institute
Seattle Children's
Stanford's Children Hospital
Tufts Medical Center
University of Chicago
University of Iowa
UNC Lineberger
Yale Cancer Center